Wednesday, June 19, 2013

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler

I read this in advanced reading copy form, with no blurbs or other info, based solely on my regard for the author's previous writing. If you can come to the book in anything like the same kind of way, I urge you to do so. What I can tell you is that it is the story of a family with some missing players, told in the distinctive voice of Rosemary Cooke, who is one of its members. It's an odd family, but no odder in many respects than, say, the one Arthur Phillips writes of in The Tragedy of Arthur, which I happened to be reading concurrently.

This is a novel that carries you along in what may seem at first to be a lighter fashion, but it will take you to some very deep places. Read it.

(I originally wrote that short review for Goodreads, slightly frustrated by my inability to say more without giving anything away. I have since listened to this terrific discussion between Fowler and Rick Kleffel of The Agony column, and was really impressed by their ability to get into the story structure without revealing plot spoilers. The link is here.
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